Estrada deal a sign of optimism

With a 2018 rotation of Marcus Stroman, a healthy Aaron Sanchez, J.A. Happ and, now, Estrada, this is not a club that is looking to be patient and wait for the youngsters. (FRANK GUNN / CP)

After dominating the Kansas City Royals at Rogers Centre on Tuesday night, Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman was asked about his thoughts on finding himself in the Top 4 in franchise history in home ERA for a season.

Stromanís response was to congratulate Jays fans for their encouragement and inspiration while pitching.

Itís a nice thought, but it may have been a stretch, even for the unflappable Stro Show.

There is, however, more than a grain of truth when it comes to the re-upping of Marco Estrada for 2018.

With that Stroman logic, fans should now be able to pat themselves on the back with the news that Estrada has agreed to a one-year, $13-million contract for 2018 that will keep him in a Jays uniform for another kick at the playoff can.

“I want to come back, I think everyone knows that,” Estrada told the Star in a revealing interview on the back steps of the Jays clubhouse eight days ago.

“Maybe, after whatever that contract may be, if I do come back, Iíd have to think, ëOK, itís about time to go home (to be closer to his family in Arizona).í But right now, I feel like Iím in a good place and I feel like this teamís going to be in a much better place next season, and I want to be a part of that.”

The comparable Stroman-Estrada fan impetus contributing to this deal lies in the fact that Rogers ownership clearly understands they cannot afford to sell a rebuild to season-ticket holders and a national TV audience while jacking the prices of those season tickets.

They cannot merely tread water competitively until the arrival of Generation Next, led by Vlad Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and others. Jays fans don’t need to verbalize. Their actions as fans have spoken louder than words.

Since the club began competing hard at the trade deadline in 2015, advancing to two straight AL Championship Series, the building on Bremner has been jammed and the TV ratings across the country are stunning - higher than even the Yankees on the YES Network.

Peripherally, Blue Jays swag flies off the shelves - jerseys, hats, pennants, etc. - and there is more per-capita beer purchased at $12 per can than any other building in baseball, even if some of it is wasted, spilled by strong-armed fans trying to vent their anger, frustration and competitiveness.

The point is, with a 2018 rotation of Stroman, a healthy Aaron Sanchez, J.A. Happ and, now, Estrada, this is not a club that is looking to be patient and wait for the youngsters. The Jays won with that four-man group in 2016 and entered this season believing they were good enough to reach the October dance floor for a third straight season.

The fans have spoken. No rebuild, not now.

The front office now needs to answer the question of who becomes the fifth starter.

General manager Ross Atkins has already suggested the 2018 Jays will be deeper in starters, more protected in the six-to-eight spots at Triple-A Buffalo, led by emerging farmhands Ryan Borucki, Sean Reid-Foley and Tom Pannone.

But whoís got fifth on the opening-day major-league staff?

The two leading candidates at this point are right-hander Joe Biagini and left-hander Brett Anderson.

Anderson chose to sign with the Jays after being released by the Cubs because he saw an opportunity to start right now and to be a starter in 2018.

Sources indicate he would be willing to sign a short-term deal in order to re-establish his career at age 29, but he needs to be guaranteed a rotation spot as fifth starter in order to agree. His final three outings are an important audition.

Anderson was once a Top 50 prospect in MLB but Tommy John surgery in 2010, an oblique injury in 2012, a stress fracture in his foot in 2013, a broken finger in 2014 and bulging disc surgery last season have all set him back. When healthy, he is Mark Buehrle Lite, working quickly, throwing strikes and a virtual ground-ball machine. But the question becomes are the Jays willing to guarantee him a spot?

As for Biagini, his starting audition has been greeted with mixed reaction. One day, itís thumbs up and the next, itís thumbs down when it comes to his potential as an effective starter for a contending team.

If 2018 was going to be a “bridge,” the Jays could stick with the Biagini experiment and suffer the growing pains.

But the signing of Estrada changes everything. It says here that it should be Anderson or a free agent with experience, willing to sign short-term that can offer 180-plus innings.

But really, congratulations to Jays fans for putting obvious pressure on the organization to continue trying to field a contender in 2018.

Sure, there is always a core of fans looking for a complete rebuild, but the Twins went from 103 losses to a wild-card position in one short season because of young talent.

Rebuilds can be done in a hurry, especially with a solid rotation - one that is much the same as it was two years ago when the Jays clinched their first AL East title in two decades and a wild-card berth last year - a deep bullpen, talented kids and Josh Donaldson for one more season.

The Estrada contract as much as anything else is a signal of the Jaysí direction in 2018.